Immigrating to Albania

Business Travel

The term business visit, from an immigration perspective defines a short trip that does not require work permits and authorizations in Albania. As such the business traveler is only allowed to undertake specific business activities allowed by Albanian legislation, during which visitor represents interest of employing company based outside of Albania. This are the key information about Immigrating to Albania for business travel.

A foreigner must apply for a short-stay visa at an Albanian embassy or consulate abroad. Authorities may grant single/multiple entry business visas usually valid for up to 30 days. No continuous stay or total duration of several consecutive stays may last for more than 90 days within a 180 days period, commencing from the date of first entry.

For specific requirements visitors should contact the consulate where application is to be lodged. List of Albanian consulates is available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Albania.

Visa regime for family members is defined in the same way as for business travelers. Family members immigrating to Albania may apply for visa together with main applicant, and receive a short-stay visa.

Work Purpose

In order to carry out paid activities in Albania a work authorization is required valid for a predetermined period of time and allowing the foreigner to hold a temporary job in the country. The process for obtaining work and residence authorization depends on factors including but not limited to nationality, company type and payroll. This are the key information about Immigrating to Albania for work purpose.

Answers to the following questions will determine what immigration process must be followed for a foreign employee:

Nationality?

Location of company (city within Albania)?

Location of payroll (home or host)?

In case of home payroll, grounds for assignment, information regarding employment with home company (period of employment, provided social benefits, registration with company)?

Job position and description?

Estimated start date of assignment?

Length of assignment?

Has the foreigner lived in Albania / does the foreigner currently reside in Albania and if so, on what status?

Will foreigner be working based on contracts between company in Albania and home
country (if yes, further information will be required such as cost, time for accomplishing,
number of foreigners, subject of agreement, location of realization)?

There are various categories of work permits available for foreigners wishing to take up work in Albania:

Type A work permits are granted for economic activity as an employee, subcategorized further into work permit for seasonal work, intra-corporate transfer, student work or cross-border employment and training.

Type B is granted for conducting independent activities such as self-employment

Type D is granted for other category work permit extensions.

STANDARD PROCESS

The standard case for obtaining A/P work permit for employment by Albanian company. For a specific case please contact Move One.

Based on certain factors, the labor office might run a search on the Albanian labor market to verify if any Albanian citizens could fill in the specific position at the host company. Work permit application can be submitted only if the position cannot be filled in locally.

Highest educational degrees are required in order to prove that foreigner is qualified for a specific position and has unique skills which cannot be found locally.

Work Permit

A company must submit a work permit request to the local immigration office in the jurisdiction where its headquarters is located. A work permit authorizes a specific foreign national to work for a specified company.

APPEARANCE: A4 paper size

ISSUING AUTHORITY: Ministry of Labor and Social Issues

VALIDITY: Up to 1 year

EXTENSION: Possible

DOCUMENT LOCATION: With company

Visa Application

A foreigner must visit a Albanian consulate abroad in order to apply for a Type D long term visa. Request for the visa must be for work purpose, in order to match the residence permit application after arrival.

STANDARD DOCUMENTS REQUIRED:

Passport

2 Photos

Application form

Criminal Record Certificate

Health insurance

Invitation letter from host company

Documents proving legal status of Albanian entity

Document proving the professional, commercial activity in the respective country related with the purpose of the visit

In case of a commercial entity, documents proving the legal status of the entity

Copy of official document issued by respective local bodies proving the settlement of all taxation and social insurance obligations, authenticated according to the provision of the respective domestic legislation

Employment contract with the host in Albania

Work permit

For specific requirements visitors should contact the consulate where application is to be lodged. List of Albanian consulates is available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Albania.

Residence Permit

After arrival to Albania, a foreigner must visit local Border and Migration Police in order to apply for a residence permit based on a long term visa.

Foreign employees must be registered in the national health insurance fund by their employers who have to make contributions to the fund on a monthly basis after each employee. As proof of registration a social security number is issued to the foreigner. Registered foreigners are entitled to free health care.

TAX

Local hires and in some circumstances foreigners on assignment, must be registered with the tax authority by their employers two days prior to starting their employment, at this time the labor office must also be notified about the start date of employment.

Processing times for applications may vary depending on individual circumstances, therefore assignments must be planned well in advance.

All foreign documents need to be officially translated into Albanian.

Degree certificates are required for the work permit application and must be translated and notarized.

Foreigners are required to provide a criminal record certificate for their application, which can be time consuming to obtain.

Medical certificate declaring that the foreigner does not suffer from a disease presenting public health threat are required for residence permit application.

Passports should be valid for at least 6 months beyond the intended stay in Albania.

A work permit is canceled in case the foreigner is not present in Albania for a continuous period of six months, unless absence is due to business trip, education and vocational training, illness, care for children or mandatory military service.

Marriage and birth certificates are required in case of applications for family members.

Documents submitted for various applications have limited validity. Documents must be issued earliest three months from submission to the foreign police.

Non compliance with legislation in force and staying on territory of Albania without required documentation may result in a fine of 300,000 lek (approximately 200 dollars), deportation, as well as a ban from entering Albania for a period of time defined by authorities.

COMPANY

The penalty for illegal employment of foreigners may reach up to 400,000 lek (approximately 3,900 dollars).

Vital Documents

Vital documents are official records issued by government institutions to individuals, essential as proof of identity and status. Move One offers support for the procurement of vital documents in Albania, as well as their legalization for use outside the country.

A birth certificate documents the birth of an individual, naming a child’s biological parents, indicating the date of birth and the place where the child was born. Birth certificates may be required as supporting documents during immigration procedures.

An Albanian birth certificate is issued in the local registry office, where a child’s birth was registered. A birth certificates is issued in the Albanian language and includes details of the individual as well as the individual’s parents.

It is possible to obtain a duplicate of an original birth certificate. Issuing time and required application documents may vary depending on the registry office processing the request.

Not all formats of Albanian birth certificates may be legalized for international use, therefore holders should check for the specific requirements in advance of arranging certificate legalization.

An Albanian marriage certificate is issued in the regional governmental office where the marriage was registered. A marriage certificates is issued in the Albanian language and includes details of the husband, wife as well as the witnesses.

It is possible to obtain a duplicate of an original marriage certificate. Issuing time and required application documents may vary depending on the regional office processing the request.

Not all formats of Albanian marriage certificates may be legalized for international use, therefore holders should check for the specific requirements in advance of arranging certificate legalization.

the country where the document was issued must be party to the Apostille Convention

the country in which the document is to be used must be party to the Apostille Convention

the law of the country where the document was issued must consider the document to be a public document

the country in which the document is to be used must require an apostille in order to recognize it as a foreign public document

Public documents, such as birth and marriage certificates, criminal record certificates and notarial attestations of signatures, frequently need to be used abroad. However, before a public document can be used in a country other than the one that issued it, its origin must often be authenticated.

CONSULAR LEGALIZATION

The traditional method for authenticating public documents to be used abroad is called legalization and consists of a chain of individual authentications of the document. This process involves officials of the country where the document was issued as well as the foreign consulate of the country where the document is to be used.

APOSTILLE

A large number of countries have joined a treaty that simplifies the authentication of public documents to be used abroad. This treaty is called the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. It is commonly known as the Apostille Convention. Where it applies, the treaty reduces the authentication process to a single formality: the issuance of an authentication certificate by an authority designated by the country where the public document was issued. This certificate is called an apostille.

Apostille requirements:

Albania is a signatory to the Hague Convention, therefore documents issued in Albania may be authenticated with an apostille for use in a country which is also a signatory member of the convention.

*International travelers should note that immigration procedures vary depending on many factors and specific information about the transferee and / or family members. If you have any questions about immigrating to Albania, please get in touch with Move One to discuss your specific case by sending an email to immigration@moveoneinc.com.